Sly 4: Return of The Coopers
by TheFlyboy44
Summary: Sly must travel through time in order to save his ancestors from a mysterious force erasing Cooper history. But he won't be doing it alone; the new Cooper gang will be at his side every step of the way; along with a few more blasts from the past than Sly expected.
1. The Journey Begins

**This is a Sly Cooper Fanfiction of how the fourth game SHOULD have gone; in my opinion at least.**

 **Disclaimer: I do NOT own the rights to the Sly Cooper Franchise and do not claim to.**

 **Sly Cooper is copyrighted to Suckerpunch Productions and Sanzaru Games.**

 **Please enjoy!**

 **Paris, France, 2006…**

A warm summer breeze whistled through the air around Paris's National Art Gallery. The moon was bright, the owls were hooting, and in an alley around the back wall, a large box truck with a clock mounted above the cab was pulling to a stop. From the side of a truck, a slender figure jumped out, grabbed a nearby lamppost and climbed swiftly to the top. He stood atop the lamppost, then jumped to the roof across the alley. When he stepped into the moonlight, he was revealed to be a raccoon wearing a blue shirt, a blue cap, and carrying a gold ended cane.

 **Sly Cooper! The Master Thief!**

Sly pulled out his binocucom and focused on the national gallery. When he had a good shot, he whispered,

"This is the ball to all agents; I'm starting my approach to the gallery. Let's do a final check. Hacker…?"

"Online!"

"Demolitions…?"

"I endeavor not to miss."

"Radio control…?"

"In position!"

"Recovery…?"

"I'm pumped!"

"Frogman…?"

"Showtime, Baby!"

"Telekinetics…?"

" _I stand ready._ "

"Okay, everyone…" said Sly, "We're only gonna get one shot at this; let's make it count. Ball rolling out!" He put away his binocucom and dashed across the rooftop. He jumped onto a rope strung over the street, and easily walked across it to the next rooftop. Making sure that no one was watching him, he slunk over to one of the taller buildings and climbed up the drainpipe to reach the next roof. Once there, he had a clear view of the security searchlight tower on the top of the museum. Knowing he would need some help, Sly tapped his communications mic and said, "Ball requesting lights out via Agent Monarch and Agent Heartthrob."

"Ten-four, Ball;" said a voice, "We're all over it."

Down in the alley, a large panda bear stepped out of the truck and turned to face the museum.

 **Panda King! The Demolition Expert!**

At the same time, a small pink helicopter lifted off from the truck and flew up towards the top of the building. Then, a hatch opened on the top, and a young mouse with glasses climbed out onto the roof.

 **Penelope! The RC Pilot!**

"I've got a visual on the targets;" said Penelope, "I just need to take care of the guards on the top before we blow that tower sky high." With extreme skill and precision, she maneuvered her chopper into position above one of the guards. She dropped a grappler cable from the chopper, which grabbed a hold of the guard. Then, the chopper let out a rocket burst from behind; pulling the unsuspecting guard clean off the tower! Smiling to herself, Penelope made short work of the rest of the guards on the tower. "Guards are pulled;" said Penelope, "You're clear to shoot, Panda King."

"Stand clear!" the Panda King ordered as he loaded his fireworks launcher. Once it was full, he concentrated on the tower, took a deep breath, and said, "Fire!" The fireworks launched from the launcher and homed in on the four searchlights on the tower. **BOOM!** The lights were destroyed. Smiling at his handiwork, the Panda King said, "Your path is clear, Ball; roll on."

"Roger that;" said Sly. With the lights down, it was much easier for him to slip into the courtyard. Slipping past the guards, he noticed one about to nod off. Feeling an urge that he hadn't felt in over a year, he slipped in behind the guard and extended his cane into the guard's pocket. After feeling around for a moment, Sly pulled out a gold plated watch. He couldn't help smirking as he pocketed the stolen loot and slunk away unnoticed. When he reached the main building, he split his cane into two pieces and used them as hooks to grip onto the cracks in the stone wall. Climbing the wall was easy; though not as easy as it used to be. When Sly reached the top, he approached two rat guards dressed in yellow hazmat suits. Knowing they hadn't seen him, he snuck up behind the first one and whacked him into the air with his cane before slamming him into the roof. The other rat guard squeaked in panic and charged at Sly. Sly, however, jumped clean over the rat and gave him a few good whacks with his cane. The rat fell unconscious and Sly turned his attention over to the skylight. He tapped his mic and said, "Ball requesting access via Agent Hard Shell and Agent Deep Six."

"Roger that, Sly!" said a turtle in a cool looking wheelchair, "We'll have that hatch open for you in no time!"

 **Bentley! The Brains!**

"Let me see…" Bentley said to himself as he looked at a blueprint, "In order to override the security, I'm going to have to make my way through the sewers to reach the emergency control room. Yeech… this should be fun." Bentley sighed and wheeled his chair down the tunnel; stopping when he came to an iron gate. He whipped a small device out of his shell and dropped it next to the gate before wheeling back rather quickly. The device exploded; blowing the gate wide open. Bentley smiled as he wheeled through and up to a secret door embedded in the tunnel wall. "This should be it…" he said, "I just hope our deep diving friend isn't getting his teeth cleaned just yet."

In another sewer tunnel, a mysterious trail of bubbles moved along the surface of the green water. Then, a purple iguana surfaced and climbed out onto the stone walkway.

 **Dimitri! The Frogman!**

Dimitri was thankfully wearing a special protective diving suit; specially made to protect him from the hazards and infections that could result from swimming in sewer water.

"Turtle bro said the control box should be right here…" said Dimitri. Sure enough, there was a box with a bolt of lightning on the wall. "Piece of cake…" said Dimitri as he opened the box and pulled out one of the wires. "Yeah, baby!" he said as the sparks flew out of the box, "Let the sparks fly! Funky sweet!" He then turned around to head back to the surface. "Power box is kaput, Turtle bro!" he said into his mic.

"Nicely done, Dimitri;" said Bentley, "The door is now open!" Bentley wheeled into the secret security station and started fiddling with the computer. "Now then…" he said, "Who shall dare to stop Bentley; hacking master supreme?" It didn't take long for Bentley to hack the system. "Success!" he said, "Ball, the skylight should be unlocked."

"Everything's going according to plan, Hard Shell;" said Sly, "I just saw the lock undo itself. Now all we need is a clear escape route." He tapped his mic again and said, "Ball requesting escape route via Agent Old Rock and Agent Slammer."

" _Fear not, my friend;_ " said a koala, down in the alley, " _Your route to safety will not be blocked for long._ "

 **The Guru! The Telekinetic!**

The Guru gently tiptoed around the corner. He could see several nasty looking guards in the front yard of the museum. Most of them looked tough, but he knew that he could easily manipulate their limited minds. Suddenly, he heard footsteps behind him. Knowing he was in danger, the Guru waved his staff around and his moonstone began to glow. When a guard turned the corner, he looked around; for a moment, he was sure he had heard something. But all he could see was a small pile of trash near the wall. Shrugging, he continued down the alley. Just as he was about to turn the corner, the Guru jumped on the guard's back! The guard went into a trance and began running at full speed. The Guru managed to steer the guard right into the fountain; causing a huge splash and alerting the other guards. " _Hello, weak minded minions!_ " the Guru said in his aboriginal tongue, " _Anyone feel like a game of tag?_ " The rat guards squeaked angrily and charged towards the Guru, who whooped and ran off. As he rounded the corner into the alley, the Guru started waving his staff again. When the rats turned the corner, they were shocked to discover that their quarry had vanished. All they could see was a small pile of… apples…? The guards scratched their heads in confusion when,

"THUNDER FLOP!"

 **Murray! The Muscle!**

A large pink hippo dropped out of the sky and landed on top of all the guards, crushing them beneath his large belly. Once he was sure the guards were out cold, Murray looked around and said, "Alright, Master; the coast is clear!" The apples sparkled and then turned back into the Guru.

" _Well done, Murray;_ " he said, " _You have learned to channel your destructive nature most effectively._ "

"Thanks, Master;" said Murray, "I feel a lot better about myself now that I can smash stuff up and still be a pretty nice guy." He tapped his own mic and said, "Ball, this is Slammer; we're all clear for the getaway."

"Way to go, Slammer;" said Sly, "You go warm up the truck; I'll meet you at the side of the building in two minutes." With that, Sly opened the skylight and hooked himself to a strong cable connected to the roof. With the skills he's practiced a thousand times before, Sly descended into the room, and instantly saw what he was looking for; an old dagger from Feudal Japan. Once he was almost level with the artifact, he reached out his hand to take it… and hesitated.

"Sly!" Bentley's voice came over the binocucom, "What are you waiting for? We're running on the clock here!"

"I…" Sly stuttered, "I can't do it, Bentley! This just feels… wrong!"

"Get her out of your mind, Sly!" yelled Bentley, "Just take it!"

"Alright, fine!" Sly said as he grabbed the dagger. Suddenly, the sound of alarms pierced the air and a very angry looking vixen stormed into the room and aimed her shock pistol right at him!

 **Carmelita Fox! The Inspector!**

"Cooper!" she snarled, "So this is where I find you! Up to your old thieving ways!"

"Carmelita!" gasped Sly, "This… this isn't what it looks like…!"

"Looks like a robbery to me!" she said, "And I don't care what your excuse is this time! You're going to jail for life!" She fired a shot at him, but Sly pushed off the display with his feet and managed to dodge the shot.

"Carmelita, please…" he said, "I wouldn't have done this if it wasn't important, but I'll promise I'll make it up to you!"

"If you want to make it up to me," said Carmelita, "You'll turn yourself in right now!"

"I'm sorry…" said Sly, "But there's too much at stake for that." He tugged on the cable and was lifted out of the room. "For whatever it's worth…" he said, "I'm sorry! And I love you!" He darted away just in time to dodge another electric shot.

"COOPER!" Carmelita screamed in fury as her target disappeared.

The sounds of alarms and police sirens were everywhere as Sly tried to make his escape. In the distance, he could hear helicopters coming to reveal his location. He just hoped that Murray and the others were coming to get him. Without even thinking, he ran for the edge of the roof and jumped off. **Thump!** He landed on top of a moving box truck, and looked down to see Murray smiling up at him. Sly did his best to smile back. The truck skidded into the alley and Sly climbed in through the roof hatch.

"What took you so long, Sly?" asked Penelope.

"I had to at least tell Carmelita that I was sorry;" said Sly, "I didn't want any of this to happen."

"Yeah, well there's no turning back now;" said Bentley, "Just give me the dagger and I'll go to work on it." Sly glumly handed over the dagger and made his way into the front seat. Bentley, however, put the dagger into a strange receptacle where the dagger was scanned. "Isolating isotopic decomposition…" he said, "Coordinates locked… and we're ready!"

"Just in time!" said Murray, "We're surrounded!"

"This is total bogus…" groaned Dimitri.

"Shall I blast our way through?" asked the Panda King.

"That won't be necessary;" said Bentley, "I've already calibrated the machine perfectly." He hit a large red button and said, "Okay, Murray; Punch it!"

"Punching!" said Murray as he shifted the truck into gear and floored the accelerator. Suddenly, there was a loud thump on the roof, and a voice called,

"I've got you now, Cooper!"

"Huh…?" Sly wondered, "Carmelita couldn't have gotten out that fast!"

"Hang on, Guys!" said Murray, "Ain't no stoppin' us now!" The truck careened towards a police roadblock at fifty miles per hour and was still picking up speed.

"WHOOOOOOOAAAA!" everyone cried, bracing for the impact. But at the last second, the truck vanished; leaving behind nothing but tire tracks and the faint smell of diesel exhaust.

 __ _ **So… How do I sum all this up? I'm Sly Cooper; former master thief; and this… is my story. I was born into a long line of master thieves dating almost back to the beginning of civilization. But, I wouldn't have everything my way. My family's thieving guide, the Thievius Racoonus, was stolen from me by a ruthless gang called the Fiendish Five; who also murdered my mother and father. I wound up at an orphanage, where I met my lifelong friends and trusted crew; Bentley, the mind of our operations; and Murray, the muscle. Together, we beat the Fiendish Five, including my family's nemesis, Clockwerk, and rebuilt the Thevius Racoonus. After that, we continued pulling jobs in order to keep the world safe; all the while being pursued by the persistent and lovely Inspector Carmelita Fox.**_

 _ **When I heard about a special vault that contained my ancestors' accomplishments; and that it had fallen into the hands of one of my father's former gang members, Dr. M, we recruited some new experts to be part of the gang. There was the Guru; Murray's teacher, who was a master of the mysterious dreamtime; Penelope, a remote control genius who would also become Bentley's girlfriend; the Panda King, a former enemy of mine who was now our demolitions expert; and Dimitri Lousteau, an art forger turned scuba diver, who joined the team as our frogman. We successfully penetrated the vault, but I ended up taking a nasty blow when Dr. M tried to shoot Carmelita. Thankfully, I survived, and was able to fake amnesia so that Carmelita and I could finally be together.**_

 _ **Recently, I've been doing some undercover work for Interpol; my knowledge of how criminals work has led to Carmelita bringing in a lot of dangerous criminals; for which, she is extremely grateful. So basically, life was good; that is until Bentley and Penelope approached me with some disturbing news; all of my ancestors' records and adventures were vanishing right off of the pages of the Thevius Racoonus. Thankfully, Bentley already had the answer; a time machine. With it, we could travel through time and fix the damage that was being done to history. The only catch was, we needed physical objects to calibrate the machine; and that meant stealing something from the museum. I was reluctant; I didn't want to revert to my old ways and risk ruining things with Carmelita, but Bentley was firm; if we didn't act soon, I might even vanish from history forever.**_

 _ **With no time to spare, we got the gang back together to pull off the heist we needed to initiate the machine and save my ancestors. First, however, we made a quick stop to visit another member of my father's crew, Jim McSweeny. We trusted him to take care of the Thevius Racoonus since we couldn't take it through time with us. Bentley even came up with a device that would allow him to communicate with us, no matter where or when we were. After that, well… you probably can guess what happened. As we hurtled through the time vortex, I couldn't help but wonder how I was ever going to make things right with Carmelita. But a more immediate concern was… who had just jumped onto the roof? And why did their voice sound familiar?**_

 **Who is the mysterious intruder on the roof…?**

 **Will Sly and the gang manage to repair whatever damage has been done to the Cooper clan…?**

 **Answers incoming… in Chapter 2!**


	2. Stunning Revelations

**This is a Sly Cooper Fanfiction of how the fourth game SHOULD have gone; in my opinion at least.**

 **Disclaimer: I do NOT own the rights to the Sly Cooper Franchise and do not claim to.**

 **Sly Cooper is copyrighted to Suckerpunch Productions and Sanzaru Games.**

 **Please enjoy!**

 **Osaka, Japan, 1603…**

The Cooper Truck suddenly blasted out of thin air and came to a stop on a plateau overlooking a small village. Once the Cooper gang had recovered from the warp of time travel, everyone looked at each other, nervously; they knew that someone hostile was on the roof.

"Psst…! Panda King…" whispered Bentley, "Operation: Bait and Switch…"

"Yes…" the Panda King whispered back. Sly knew what they were planning, and made his way to the truck's back door. Once there, he stood next to the Panda King as they opened the door together.

"Looks like the coast is clear…" said Sly, "I better take a look around." He placed his foot outside the door, and…

"HAAAA!" a voice yelled. In an instant, Sly pulled his foot back, and the Panda King reached out and grabbed the intruder as it tried to pounce on Sly. "Oi!" an annoyed female voice said, "Let me go, you oversized throw rug!" A collective gasp went up from the gang.

"NEYLA?" Sly, Bentley, Murray, and Dimitri asked in unison. Sure enough, the Panda King dragged a struggling purple tigress wearing a red hood into the truck.

"Huh…?" asked Penelope, clearly confused, "Who's this crazy tigress?"

"She… she was hounding us a few years ago on the Clockwerk case!" said Bentley.

"And she betrayed us in India;" added Sly, "Turning us in to Interpol so she could have the Clockwerk parts for herself!"

"That's right, Cooper!" Neyla snarled, "And I had you and your pathetic gang at my mercy! How you managed to beat me I'll never know!"

"But… How…?" asked Murray, "I thought you died when the Clockwerk frame exploded!"

"I thought so too!" said Neyla, "Turns out, the frame was enough to shield me from the blast, and when the parts all decayed away, I was released into the seine river. I woke up ten miles downstream, broken, but alive."

"Wow…" said Penelope, "Those Clockwerk parts must have been made of stern stuff."

"And I've been recovering for the past two years…" Neyla went on, "Plotting my revenge, and now… I'm going to take it!"

"Yeah…" said Sly, "There's just one problem with that…" Neyla looked up, and remembered that she was in the iron grip of the Panda King.

"I will not allow you to harm Sly Cooper;" said The Panda King, "I am bound by my commitment as a member of the Cooper Gang to protect all of my teammates."

"So," said Neyla, a bit more calmly than before, "I see you've made some new friends. Even old Dimitri."

"That's right, Baby!" said Dimitri, "Dimitri dances to a new tune now!"

"How nice…" said Neyla, scowling.

"Well…" said Bentley, "As unexpected as this is, we've arrived in Japan; the home of Rioichi Cooper. If we're going to find out what's been causing his section of the Thevius Racoonus to vanish, then our first order of business is to take some recon so we can figure out what's going on."

"Right…" said Sly, "I know the drill for that."

"I'm coming too;" said Penelope, "Just let me refuel my chopper, and I can do an aerial sweep of the surrounding area."

"You sure you wanna come?" asked Sly.

"Sure;" said Penelope, "Anything to get out of the truck for a while. Something tells me this isn't going to be a nice chat over coffee."

"I'll agree with that." said Sly. It didn't take too long for Penelope to gas up her chopper; after which, she and Sly set out on their recon mission.

"So, Bentley…" said Murray, "What are we gonna do with Neyla?"

"I'm right here!" said Neyla, "You could ask me!"

"True…" said Bentley, "Very true." He thought for a minute, then said, "Sit her down, Panda King."

"Yes, of course." said the Panda King. He sat Neyla down in one of the seats, but kept a firm hand on her shoulder, ready to spring if she tried anything rash.

"Now," said Bentley, "I think we need a professional to ask some questions." On cue, the Guru came out of hiding, and lifted his moonstone up to Neyla's head.

"Oi…" said Neyla, "What're you trying to do…?" The Guru didn't answer for a moment; he concentrated on something, very intently.

" _Interesting…_ " he finally said, " _I sense much anger in you, Neyla; brought on by feelings of sadness, abandonment, and betrayal._ "

"What…?" asked Neyla, "How do you know what fuels my anger?"

"He knows a lot;" said Murray, "My master, the Guru, can see the spark of anger and fear inside all of us."

"Oh joy…" grumbled Neyla, "I came here expecting a fight, and I get a counseling session."

"This… is definitely not right…" said Sly, as he and Penelope overlooked the small village from atop a cliff.

"That's for sure…" said Penelope, "Villages in Feudal Japan didn't have searchlights and gun turrets the last time I read the history books."

"We're obviously dealing with some very strong forces here;" said Sly, "You better maintain your position here; if those guards spot your RC chopper, it'll be a missile magnet."

"You're right, Sly;" said Penelope, "But I've seen you sneak, I think I can manage to keep it out of sight."

"Good luck, then;" said Sly, "I'm gonna go get a little more… up close and personal." With that, he dove off the cliff and deployed his paraglider. He gently glided in before releasing the glider and landing on a lantern on one side of the cobblestone street. "This is pretty disturbing…" said Sly, "I better get some shots of those samurai guards patrolling the streets, and Rioichi's sushi restaurant." He noticed that a large boar guard was coming down the street, holding a lantern in one hand and a crossbow in the other. Pulling out his binocucom, Sly focused the sights on the guard and snapped a picture of the armor. "Perfect;" said Sly, "Now for the restaurant."

Being sure to stay out of sight, Sly slipped through the shadows of the streets until he saw an elaborate pagoda-shaped building with a silly-looking fish above the door.

"Nice touch;" Sly thought to himself as he snapped the picture, "Pretty ingenious of Rioichi to use a sushi restaurant as a hideout. Of course… with sushi that good, I bet the people never thought much about it."

" _Sly! Come in!_ " Penelope's voice came through Sly's earpiece. Knowing it could be something important, Sly answered immediately.

"What've you got, Penelope?" he asked.

" _There's some kinda commotion going on by the local geisha house._ " said Penelope, " _Maybe we should check it out._ "

"See you there!" said Sly. He climbed up a conveniently placed lantern post and started running along the rooftops. Along the way, he pickpocketed a few crane guards, scoring some decent loot that Bentley could sell on theifnet. In no time, he saw a building with a painting of a beautifully dressed rhino on the front. It didn't take a genius to figure out that it was the geisha house. "Penelope…" said Sly, "I'm outside the geisha house, but I'm not seeing any kind of disturbance."

" _The disturbance is inside, Sly;_ " said Penelope, over the radio, " _I'm almost there. If anyone comes out, snap a picture of them._ "

"Ten-four…" said Sly. At that moment, the door opened, and a large tiger stepped out into the street. He was wearing traditional Japanese nobility clothes, but Sly could tell that something about him was out of place. "I'm pretty sure they didn't smoke Cuban cigars in Feudal Japan…" said Sly as he snapped a picture of the tiger. Just then, he heard the drone of a small gas engine, and Penelope's chopper hovered overhead. "Penelope…" said Sly, "Something's strange about that guy. He looks like he belongs in the nineteen seventies."

" _Not to worry, Sly;_ " said Penelope, " _Bentley equipped my chopper with a portable data cruncher. If I can scan this guy long enough, it'll tell us all we need to know about him._ "

"That Bentley;" said Sly, "Always thinking. Just be careful; if he notices your chopper up there, he'll blast it out of the sky."

" _I'll take that into consideration;_ " said Penelope, " _Thanks for the heads up. You better head back to meet with me; it won't take long to scan this guy._ " Sly watched as the chopper hovered above and slightly behind the tiger. But, he left things as they were and started making his way back to the cliff. Once there, he climbed the vines to the top, and met up with Penelope, who had already retrieved her chopper.

"You got the data?" he asked.

"Yep!" said Penelope, "Once we feed this into Bentley's computer, it'll tell us all we need to know about who we're dealing with here."

Soon, Sly and Penelope made it to the truck.

"How's everything going so far?" asked Sly.

"Decently;" said Bentley, "Neyla's been spending some time with the Guru, who's been talking to her about her anger issues."

"Nice to know he's making some progress;" said Sly, "In the meantime, Penelope has something for you."

"We've tracked someone in the village;" said Penelope, "And I've gathered all the data on him on my RC chopper."

"Excellent!" said Bentley, "Now maybe we'll have some idea of who we're up against." Penelope and Bentley got to work on Bentley's computer, while Sly decided he needed to check up on Neyla. He found her, the Guru, and Murray out by the front of the truck.

"Hey, Sly!" said Murray, "How'd the recon go?"

"Like a top, Murray;" said Sly, "Bentley's putting it all together now." He then turned his attention to Neyla and said, "So… how's it going…?"

"Alright, I suppose…" said Neyla, sourly, "This… koala has been talking to me about my betrayal issues."

"Betrayal issues…?" asked Sly, "Yeah… I can see that; you kinda have a habit of betraying people."

"That's because I was betrayed!" Neyla spat, "By your family!"

"What…?" asked Sly, clearly confused, "How did my family betray you…?"

"Sly!" Bentley's voice called from the truck, "You've got to see this!"

"We'll talk later." said Sly. Leaving Neyla, he entered the truck and found Bentley and Penelope staring at the screen. "What's this about?" he asked.

"We've positively identified the tiger you saw in the village;" said Bentley, "His name is El Jefe, and he's a notorious mercenary general, responsible for the hostile takeover of several small countries!"

"And that's not all;" said Penelope, "According to the data we've found, he mysteriously vanished just a week before we pulled off our heist. If I do the math… that's only six hours before I noticed the anomalies in the Thevius Racoonus!"

"Sounds like we're getting closer to solving the puzzle;" said Sly, "What's next, Bentley?"

"Well," said Bentley, "Our first order of business should be to break Rioichi out of that new high-security jail they've built near the waterfall cliffs. Unfortunately, the place is locked down tighter than… than…"

"Your security database… Murray's belt… Carmelita's underwear drawer…" Sly suggested.

"Very droll, Sly…" said Bentley, "Very droll."

"You naughty boy…" said Penelope.

"Anyway;" said Bentley, "Your only way inside is to trick one of the guards into thinking you're an officer. To do that, you'll need a set of samurai armor. The Guru can help you acquire one of those, and then you'll need Murray for a fast getaway."

"Sounds good to me;" said Sly, "Well… I better not waste any more time."

"Agreed;" said Bentley, "We'll keep an eye on Neyla while you three are gone. And in the meantime, we'll establish a proper hideout in one of the caves around here."

"Speaking of Neyla…" said Sly, "She said something about being betrayed by my family. I wonder… is there any truth behind that?"

"Probably not;" said Penelope, "She's probably just trying to get inside your head."

"Maybe…" said Sly, "But if she is… it's working…"

Some time later, Sly, Murray, and the Guru were approaching the prison.

"So what's the plan, Sly?" asked Murray.

"Bentley seems to think that the best way inside is to use a set of armor to disguise you as an officer;" said Sly, "But… those officers are bigger and tougher than the guards."

" _Leave them to me;_ " said the Guru, " _A strong body is nothing without a strong mind._ "

"You tell 'em, Master!" said Murray, "Show them the power of the dreamtime!" The Guru went on ahead, and started shadowing one of the officers. He was big; bigger than the boar guards who were guarding the prison. The Guru started waving his staff, and turned into a small bush. The officer turned the corner, but only saw the bush by the side of the road.

"I must remember to get that trimmed…" he muttered to himself. Once he had passed it, the bush turned back into the Guru, who leapt on the back of the officer, and placed his fingers to his head. The officer went into a trance, and began running at full speed. The Guru took a moment to enjoy the feeling before steering the guard in the direction of Sly and Murray. Once there, he leapt off the officer's back, and the officer smacked right into the wall. Murray dragged him into the alley, gave him a few quick punches, and the officer slumped over, out cold. Then, Murray emerged, wearing the armor.

"Gotta say, Murray," said Sly, "You make a pretty good officer."

"Thanks, Pal;" said Murray, "Now we just need to make the guards think that you're a prisoner."

" _Allow me…_ " said the Guru. He waved his moonstone around Sly's face for a few seconds. There was a sparkly burst, and Sly's face looked like that of a red panda's. " _This dreamtime spell will mask your true face for a short time;_ " said the Guru, " _Just long enough for you to get inside the prison._ "

"Thanks, Guru;" said Sly, "You better get back to the hideout; Murray and I can take it from here."

" _Of course;_ " said the Guru, " _Good luck, my friends._ " And off he ran.

"Okay, Sly…" said Murray, "Just let me get these cuffs on you, and I'll get you inside that prison." Sly allowed Murray to place a pair of handcuffs onto his wrists, and lead him up to the prison gates. "Ten-HUT!" Murray barked. The boar guards snapped to attention.

"What's this, Sir?" one of the guards asked.

"I caught this lowlife sneaking around the geisha house;" said Murray, "Looked like he was planning a sneak attack on the general."

"Well then;" said the guard, "Looks like this one's going over the falls!"

"Yes…" said Murray, "Now, um… If you'll be so kind as to let me in, I'll throw this trash over the falls myself."

"Yes, Sir!" said the guards. With that, they opened the door and let Murray and Sly right in. Once the door was closed behind them, Murray led Sly to a sheltered corner of the room, and removed the cuffs. A second later, Sly's face returned to normal.

"That was some pretty convincing talk, Murray;" said Sly, "I have to admit, I wasn't sure you could pull it off."

"Yeah, well… I know what you mean…" said Murray, "I mean… I'm still not as good as you, but I'm learning."

"You were great, Pal." said Sly. The two of them left the corner, and made their way down the hallway leading to the maximum security cells. When they reached the end of the hall, they entered a large cavern with a river running through it.

"That river probably leads to the falls;" said Murray, "and the current is pretty strong. If we fall into that, we're goners."

"We've got other problems too;" said Sly, "I better get Bentley on the line." He pulled out his binocucom, and said, "Bentley, it's Sly. We've got a bit of a problem down here."

" _What seems to be the trouble, Sly?_ " asked Bentley.

"Well…" said Sly, "Rioichi's cage has to be one of the cages that are suspended over the river. The only thing is, I can't see a way to get up there."

" _Hmmm…_ " said Bentley, " _Well… when brains can't solve a problem, perhaps brawn is called for._ "

"You're right!" said Sly, "Maybe Murray can heave me up to one of those stalactites, and I can cross to Rioichi's cage from there."

" _That's one way of doing things;_ " said Bentley, " _But once you're up there, there's no second try; the disturbance may alert the guards to your presence._ "

"No pressure, huh…?" said Sly. He then turned to Murray and said, "Okay, Pal, I need you to heave me up to one of those stalactites so I can get over to Rioichi's cage."

"No problem, Chum;" said Murray, "What can I do to help?"

"I saw a cart back there in the lobby;" said Sly, "You can stand by it for our getaway."

"Okay then;" said Murray. He knelt down and cupped his hands. "Ready, Sly?"

"Ready!" said Sly as he took a few steps back. After psyching himself up, he broke into a run towards Murray. "Alley…!"

"Oop!" said Murray as he launched Sly up to the stalactite.

"Thanks, Murray!" called Sly, "Now to get Rioichi out of there." Using his cane, Sly was able to jump and grab hold of the few stalactites before reaching one of the chains that supported the cages. After pulling himself up, he walked across the chain to one of the cages, where a raccoon was meditating. "Psst…!" he said, "Hey…! Over here…!" The raccoon opened his eyes and turned around.

"What…?" he asked, "Are you a fellow ninja?"

"Uh… yeah…" said Sly, "I'm here to bust you out of here."

" _Tomoyo arigato;_ " said the raccoon, "Thank you, my friend. I am Rioichi Cooper of the Cooper clan."

"Nice to meet you, Rioichi;" said Sly, "Here… just let me…" He used his cane to break the lock, and open the door. "C'mon!" he said, "Let's go!"

"Where?" asked Rioichi, "To walk on a pathway so narrow is but impossible."

"Impossible…?" asked Sly, "What do you mea… Oh, right…" he berated himself, "The rail walk didn't come 'til two hundred years later."

"What is this… rail walk that you speak of?" asked Rioichi.

"You'll see;" said Sly, "Just hop on my back." Rioichi complied, and got on Sly's back. With a slight degree of difficulty, Sly walked back across the chain until he had a clear view of the exit. He then jumped off the chain and glided safely down with his paraglider.

"Incredible!" said Rioichi, "Your skills as a ninja are amazing!"

"Thanks;" said Sly, "We better get going; Murray's waiting for the getaway." With that, Sly and Rioichi ran to the lobby, where Murray was waiting with the cart.

"Hop in, Chums!" he said, "The Murray Express is leaving on track one!" Sly and Rioichi jumped into the cart, and Murray charged towards the door. **SMASH!** He broke right through, knocking the guards off their posts. "Choo-Choo!" Murray shouted as he charged through the village towards safety.

On the way back to the hideout, Sly explained the whole situation to Rioichi; who seemed to understand the whole thing.

"So… you're not alarmed or anything…?" asked Sly, "I mean… You're talking to your descendant from three hundred years in the future."

"Sly, my boy;" said Rioichi, "A ninja is never alarmed."

"That's… good for us then." said Sly. In no time, Murray brought them back to the new hideout in a cave near the edge of the village. "C'mon in;" said Sly, "Let's meet the team."

"Of course." said Rioichi. However, when Sly, Rioichi, and Murray entered the hideout, they were met by a collection of strange faces.

"Hi, gang!" said Sly.

"Oh, uh… hey, Sly…" said Bentley.

"What's the matter…?" asked Sly, "Is something wrong…?"

"Not wrong, really…" said Bentley, "Maybe just… awkward…"

"What's up?" asked Murray.

" _That would be my place to answer…_ " said a voice. Sly looked over to see McSweeny's face on Bentley's communicator.

"McSweeny…?" asked Sly.

" _Hello, Sly;_ " said McSweeny, " _Fancy you running into little Neyla again._ " Sly took a moment to register Neyla staring at him from the other side of the room, with a look that he couldn't quite place.

"Wait a minute…" said Sly, "You know her…?"

" _I certainly do;_ " said McSweeny, " _After all, she is your half-sister._ " Sly's eyes went wide; he dropped his cane, and yelled,

"WHAT…?"

 __ _ **It was quite the revelation; Neyla and I were actually related. It turns out that Neyla's mother, Florinda, had been a part of my father's gang; and at some point shortly after I was born, my father had had an affair with her. In short, Neyla and I were half-siblings from the same father. My head hurt so much… I just wanted to lie down; but I needed to know the full truth. Neyla then started into her side of the story. During one of their elaborate heists, everything fell apart, and Florinda ended up losing her life. Neyla blamed my father for not saving her mother and had decided to take revenge on us by humiliating us, turning us in to Interpol, and finally joining with the body of my family's sworn enemy. Now, everything she had done to us made a lot more sense.**_

 _ **But then, McSweeny told us the truth. Turns out, Florinda willingly sacrificed herself so that the rest of the gang could get away. But before she died, my father promised her that he would ensure that Neyla would be taken care of. Since he was afraid that bringing her into the family would cause problems between him and my mother, he decided that Florinda's share of the haul would be subtracted and given to Neyla so she would have some money to her name. Then things hit the fan, Dr. M had wanted to split Florinda's share amongst themselves; but when my father refused that idea, he left the gang, swearing revenge. And then, I saw the whole picture… It was Dr. M who had sold my family out to Clockwerk, and doomed my mother and father. The Panda King felt particularly remorseful, since he had had a part in taking out my dad.**_

 _ **So now the truth was out, and it was a bitter pill to swallow. I felt so terrible; I wanted to do something; anything to make things right. Murray suggested using the time machine to try and save Florinda, but Bentley said that if we did, it could cause catastrophic damage to the timeline. I looked over at Neyla, and I could tell that she was hurting. Unfortunately, we didn't have time for a pity party. We still needed to stop El Jefe and put things right with the Thevius Racoonus; and what better place to start than Rioichi's sushi shop?**_

 **Sly and Neyla are closer to each other than either of them realized…!**

 **Can Sly and the gang all work together to stop El Jefe and restore Rioichi's Cooper honor…?**

 **Answers incoming… in Chapter 3!**


	3. Knives, Fish, and Dancing

**This is a Sly Cooper Fanfiction of how the fourth game SHOULD have gone; in my opinion at least.**

 **Disclaimer: I do NOT own the rights to the Sly Cooper Franchise and do not claim to.**

 **Sly Cooper is copyrighted to Suckerpunch Productions and Sanzaru Games.**

 **Please enjoy!**

"Okay, Everyone;" said Bentley, "It's time to take Rioichi's sushi shop back, and in the process, set ourselves up for an assault on El Jefe's stronghold." Bentley was giving the gang one of his elaborate slideshow presentations. While most of the gang was listening, Sly was still trying to get his head round the fact that Neyla was his half-sister. He looked over at Neyla, who was trying not to look back at him. "First of all…" continued Bentley, "We need to get inside the shop, retrieve Rioichi's cane, and open it back up for business. The Panda King will use the samurai armor to relieve the guards of duty, and let Rioichi back into his shop. Once inside, it'll be up to Rioichi to do the unlocking."

"Of course, Bentley-San;" said Rioichi, "It is my duty as a master chef."

"Second…" said Bentley, "We're going to need some fresh fish in order to make some good sushi. Dimitri and I will venture into the caves on the western side of town in order to reach the fishing pool and catch some delicious fish."

"Sounds good to me, Turtle bro!" said Dimitri.

"And third…" said Bentley, "El Jefe only comes out of his lair to uh… 'visit' with Madame Geisha, who has recently left town for a vacation. So, Murray will need to pose as Madam Geisha to coax El Jefe out. While he's on his way to the geisha house, Penelope will shadow him with her RC car, listening for anything that might be useful. Once El Jefe reaches the geisha house, it'll be up to Sly to pickpocket the plans for the operation off of him."

"Sounds like fun!" said Murray, "I love to dance!"

"I'm not sure breakdancing was a thing in Feudal Japan." said Penelope.

"Okay, everyone;" said Bentley, "We've all got our assignments, so if we're all ready…"

"Just a moment, Bentley…" said Sly, "I'd like to… have a word with Neyla before we go."

"Okay, Sly;" said Bentley, "But don't drag it out too long." Sly turned to the purple tigress and said,

"Neyla, do you think you can bring yourself to… have a talk with me?" Neyla lifted her head and said,

"I… I guess so, Sly." Sly got up and led Neyla to the far corner of the cave.

"Look, Neyla," said Sly, "You don't have to beat yourself up over this. I didn't even know any of this until now."

"Maybe not;" said Neyla, "But I still feel terrible. I wish I had known that my mum did what she did so that your father could be safe." She sniffed before saying, "I also wish I'd known that your… I mean _our_ father wanted to make sure I was well taken care of."

"Yeah…" said Sly, "It probably would have been easier if he'd adopted you into our family."

"He was probably worried that it would make your mum go mad;" said Neyla.

"Yeah…" said Sly, "Then it would have hit the fan."

"What's really bothering me is… I've spent all this time angry at the wrong people;" said Neyla, "And you and your friends… even Carmelita, all suffered so much because of me."

"It was just a touch of the red mist;" said Sly, "It happens to the best of us sometimes."

"I don't know…" said Neyla, "I feel… just terrible, and I want to try and make it right somehow."

"Why don't you spend some time with the Guru?" said Sly, "He helped Murray through a pretty difficult time."

"Yeah…" said Neyla, "He seems to have a way with words and such."

"Good;" said Sly, "In the meantime, we're going to get things in motion to take down El Jefe and restore Rioichi's reputation. We'll… talk some more when we get back?"

"Sure…" said Neyla, "Um… see you later, I guess."

"Yeah;" said Sly, "See you later."

"Okay then;" said Bentley, "Like I was saying, if we're all ready… let's move out!

Out in the village, El Jefe was visiting the guards outside Rioichi's sushi restaurant. Or rather, he was just visiting to yell at them.

"Listen up you idiots!" barked El Jefe, "I don't want my plans ruined because some imbeciles allowed that stupid Cooper to escape!"

"Uh… no worries, Boss;" said the first boar guard, "We won't let no one in here."

"Yeah," said the second boar guard, "No one."

"You'd better not!" said El Jefe, "We've gone to a lot of trouble, and I stand to lose a lot of money if the boss finds out we've let Cooper out of our sight. Now both of you stand here until the relief shift comes along! I wouldn't want to have to make you both into tomorrow night's dinner!" With that, he stormed away. The boar guards looked at each other, nervously, but then resumed their posts. However, it wasn't long before a large panda bear in armor strode up to the door and shouted,

"Attention!" The boars saluted. "You are both relieved of duty for now!"

"Uh… Okay…" said the first boar guard, "Say… when did the boss hire you?"

"I have been serving El Jefe since yesterday;" said the panda, "I didn't get the chance to meet you then."

"Duh… okay;" said the second boar guard, "So… we can go eat now?"

"Of course;" said the panda, "I shall cover the next shift."

"Hey, thanks;" said the first boar, before he and his partner left the door. The panda took up the post, waited a few minutes, then tapped his samurai shield to the ground three times. Rioichi Cooper climbed out of a barrel he had been hiding in, and approached the door.

" _Arigato_ , Panda-san;" said Rioichi, "Thank you for helping me take back my restaurant."

"The pleasure is mine, Rioichi," said the Panda King, "Please be aware that it may not be long before the next guards come along."

"Then I shall be swift as the divine winds;" said Rioichi. The Panda King used his shield to boost Rioichi up to the window above the door, and the raccoon slipped inside. Once inside, Rioichi reached under the doormat, and pulled out his cane. "I was right to hide this when these invaders took our village;" he said, "Clearly it is I they are most interested in."

" _Rioichi…_ " came a voice from the binocucom, " _Come in… are you there…?_ "

"Yes, Sly;" said Rioichi, "I am here."

" _Good;_ " said Sly, " _Listen, I just want to warn you about those searchlights and lasers. They can really do a number on you of you get caught in them._ "

"Fear not, Sly;" said Rioichi, "Though the night may be cold, the sun's warmth always remains."

" _Um… yeah…_ " said Sly, " _Good luck then._ " Rioichi knew that in order to unlock all the areas of his sushi shop, he would need his sushi knives as the keys. Knowing where the first one was, he leapt up onto a stick of bamboo that was growing out of the indoor garden, then focused on another one across the room. With incredible skill, he leapt halfway across the room and landed safely. After several long spire jumps, he reached the decorative flag near the top of the room. Reaching underneath it, he retrieved his carving knife. After sliding down the pole, he unlocked the door and headed into the main dining hall.

"Hmmm…" said Rioichi as he noticed all the nasty red beams on the floor, "This provides an interesting challenge." Thankfully, the framework surrounding the tables and chairs provided suitable walking and jumping points. Soon, he reached the post in the center of the room, and tapped on it. A secret compartment opened, revealing his fillet knife. "No finer knife can be used to make Sushi;" said Rioichi, "Now, all that is left is to enter the kitchen and reactivate my restaurant's sign." Being sure to dodge the lasers, he made his way to the kitchen door, and opened it. Unfortunately, the kitchen had searchlights all over the place, and a guard patrolling it! Frustrated, Rioichi split his cane into two halves and used it to climb the wall to the rafters. Once there, he noticed that the beams were too narrow to walk on. Not knowing what to do, he whispered, "Sly… Sly… please answer me…"

" _What's up, Rioichi?_ " asked Sly.

"I am at a loss;" said Rioichi, "The rafters are too narrow for me to walk on. How would you suggest I proceed?"

" _Well…_ " said Sly, " _There seem to be plenty of rings hanging from the ceiling. You could use your cane to swing from ring to ring in order to reach the back._ "

"Thank you, Sly;" said Rioichi, "You are wise beyond your years."

" _Really…?_ " asked Sly, " _Can I get that in writing_?" Knowing he was wasting time, Rioichi leapt off the rafter and hooked onto one of the rings with his twin canes. He swung himself to the next three rings, and was soon at the back of the room. He carefully edged his way over to the other side, and leapt down behind the guard. Sure enough, his cleaver was strapped to the guard's back. Rioichi lifted his twin canes, and chopped the guard on the neck! The guard dropped to the ground, unconscious, and Rioichi retrieved his cleaver.

"Hmmm… I am not sure why I even bought this one;" said Rioichi, "It is rather unsuitable for a ninja. Nonetheless, I shall not reactivate my sign, and send a message to that foul El Jefe." Using his cleaver, he unlocked the door leading to the boiler room. Once inside, he lit the fire under the boiler, and waited as the steam pressure built up. Finally, the steam was hot enough to power up the sign. Rioichi opened the steam valve and watched the steam shoot up the pipes.

Outside, the Panda King was getting a little nervous, when he saw a pair of guards coming. Knowing he couldn't keep up his charade, he willingly stood down as they took the post. As he slipped around to the back, he saw the sign on top of the building begin to glow. The Panda King smiled as the boar guards panicked and ran off; it must have been a nasty shock to them. In a matter of minutes, Rioichi exited the shop and met up with the Panda King.

"Well done, Rioichi!" said the Panda King, "Your shop is re-opened for business!"

"Yes indeed, Panda-san;" said Rioichi, "But I am still missing the key ingredients in order to make good sushi."

"Fear not;" said the Panda King, "If Bentley and Dimitri are true to their word, you shall soon have the freshest fish in all of Japan."

Meanwhile, over by the caves, Bentley and Dimitri were approaching a giant door.

"Hmmm…" said Bentley, "It appears that El Jefe and his goons have been here, and don't want us to get the good fish."

"Those dudes really crack up my skin…" groaned Dimitri.

"Not to worry;" said Bentley, "There's a computer terminal right by the entrance. If I can hack it, then we can stroll right in."

"Can you crack this coconut?" asked Dimitri.

"No sweat!" said Bentley. He rolled up to the terminal and began his hack attack. In a matter of minutes, he was in, and the door opened. "Success!" he said, "Now, Dimitri, I'm going to need you for two parts of this operation."

"What can Dimitri do for you, Turtle bro?" asked Dimitri.

"First," said Bentley, "I'll need you to pull that cart in and out of the caves so we can carry out the fish. Second, the fish in these caves are very big, and very tasty, but also very fast. So, I'll need you to jump in and shoot them with your spear gun in order to catch them."

"You got it, Turtle bro!" said Dimitri, "But, eh… what if El Jefe's bad dudes come in here?"

"I'll take care of them;" said Bentley, "If they snoop around while we're trying to fish, I'll keep them distracted with my grapple camera."

"Sounds good to me;" said Dimitri, "Let's go fishing!" With that, Bentley and Dimitri entered the cave and started following the path.

"Boy…" said Bentley, "I remember the last time I went fishing with Sly and Murray; we were just kids at the time."

"Bet you didn't have a spear gun to work with;" said Dimitri, "Just cheap old poles and lines."

"Yeah…" said Bentley, "But they did the job well enough."

"Sure…" said Dimitri, then he said, "Look, Turtle bro, when are you gonna pop up the question to Penelope?"

"What…?" asked Bentley, "Oh, uh… that. Well… it's crossed my mind a few times, but I'm not sure I'm ready for it. I mean… we've only been together a year and a bit."

"You'd be wise not to wait, Turtle bro;" said Dimitri, "This a very dangerous line of work, you know. You could die… and you and she would be in separate worlds; with things left unsaid."

"Did you have to mention dying?" asked Bentley. Dimitri didn't say anything else. Eventually, the two of them reached a pool at the end of the tunnel. "This is it;" said Bentley, "This is Rioichi's best fishing spot."

"Dimitri is ready to dive, bro;" said Dimitri, putting down the cart and lowering his mask, "All I am asking is that you keep the goon off our scent."

"Don't worry about that, Dimitri," said Bentley, "I'll keep them plenty busy." Dimitri placed in his regulator, jumped into the pool and started swimming for the underwater tunnel. Once he was out of sight, Bentley deployed his grapple camera, and guided it to one of the intersections in the tunnel. Then, he turned his eyes to the screen to watch for guards. "Is Dimitri right…?" Bentley asked himself, "Am I just dragging things out too long with Penelope?" Bentley thought back to the moment he had first met Penelope face to face. It had been a little awkward since she was not the fashion model that her profile page had indicated she was. But to be fair, he wasn't exactly the bodybuilder that he had told her he was. After that minor stumble, the two of them had bonded over their intellectual prowess. Finally, they had become an item after the Cooper Vault job just a year ago. Bentley couldn't deny that he loved Penelope, and would do anything for her. Suddenly, he noticed a guard passing by the intersection. Knowing he had to distract him, Bentley shouted, "Hey! Pay attention to me!" into his microphone. Sure enough, the guard heard the noise and followed it down the wrong path. Bentley maneuvered the grapple cam deeper into the tunnel, and said, "I'm yelling at you!" Furious, the guard started charging deeper into the dark. "He'll be lost for hours in these caves;" said Bentley, "I think I can bring the camera back to the intersection now."

Under the water, Dimitri was having no trouble collecting the fish. They might have been fast, but he was a sure shot with his spear gun. Soon, he had enough fish to fill a whole basket. With the fish in hand, he swam back to the surface, and said,

"Psst…! Turtle bro…!" Bentley looked over to see him.

"Dimitri, you're back." he said, "Have you got the fish?"

"Loads of them, Turtle bro;" said Dimitri, "Rioichi will be able to make enough sushi to satisfy a whole dinner party with this."

"Excellent!" said Bentley, "Now, we just need to bring the fish back to the sushi shop, and Rioichi will be back in business."

"That is all well and good," said Dimitri as he climbed out and loaded the fish into the cart, "But what are we going to be doing about that sleazebag El Jefe?"

"That part's up to Sly, Murray, and Penelope;" said Bentley as he and Dimitri made for the exit, "I just hope things go as smoothly for them as they've gone for us."

In the meantime, Sly was getting in position above the geisha house.

"Murray…" said Sly, "You in position?"

" _Check!_ " said Murray, " _The Murray is always in position for some action!_ "

"That's great, Big Guy;" said Sly, "Penelope, how about you?"

" _Affirmative;_ " said Penelope, " _I'm in position to launch my RC car and trail El Jefe._ "

"Good;" said Sly, "He should be leaving his castle right about now; that gives us roughly twelve minutes to break in and get Murray into costume. Good luck on your end, Penelope." With that, he unlocked the skylight and climbed down to one of the balconies. "I sure hope Carmelita never finds out I went in here…" said Sly, "I know what goes on in these places." Knowing he was on the clock, Sly set about navigating the traps and security features to find Madame Geisha's costume for Murray.

Over on her end, Penelope had launched her RC car and retreated to an elevated position from where she could keep an eye on her car at all times. Soon, El Jefe came out of his fortress entrance, and began walking through town. Penelope gently moved the control sticks and drove the car behind the tiger.

"It's a good thing Murray lent me his old chicken hat for a disguise…" she said, "El Jefe would know something was up if I just drove around in plain sight." Soon, she began to hear El Jefe's voice.

" _That blasted Rioichi Cooper!_ " he grumbled, " _I should have known better than to underestimate one of the greatest thieves in history. But then again, I will be completely safe in my statue fortress. Even the great Rioichi will never discover that the switch to open the palace gates is located under the bridge._ "

"Oh won't he…?" Penelope asked herself, "I think you'll be surprised, El Jefe." It wasn't too much longer before El Jefe started talking again.

" _My statue fortress will be impenetrable!_ " he boasted, " _As long as the guards are at their posts, none of these primitive fools will ever be able to breach the defenses. And then, of course, there are the dragon heads that contain the switches to activate the bridge._ "

"Heh-heh…" chuckled Penelope, "Keep yapping, Mister Sucker…!" It was then that El Jefe said,

" _I smell a rat around here… There is no way that Rioichi could have gotten out of that prison on his own. The Cooper Gang better not be in on this; they're the only ones who could disrupt the plan. Now… I just need to find that raccoon, so I can give the package to the boss._ "

"Wait…" said Penelope, "He knows about us…? Hmm… this could be more serious than we thought. And what's this package he's talking about." Unfortunately, El Jefe was now arriving at the geisha house, so Penelope could do no more. "Sly!" she said, "El Jefe's at the geisha house! Please tell me you're ready!"

"Uh… yep;" said Sly, "We're ready, alright." He was looking at Murray, who was now dressed in a full costume.

"So how do I look, Sly?" asked Murray. Sly paused a moment, trying to find the right words.

"You look… great, Murray; just make sure to keep El Jefe and the guards distracted. If they see me in there, it's all over."

"No problem, Chum!" said Murray, "The Murray is a dancing machine!"

"I'm holding you to that claim;" said Sly, "I'll go get in position now. Knock 'em dead, Big Guy!" With that, Sly made his way through the rafters to the back of the geisha house, and just in time; El Jefe entered through the main door and sat in one of the fanciest seats. Sly watched from behind one of the potted plants, hoping that this crazy plan would work. Soon, the curtains were drawn back, and Murray daintily stepped out onto the stage.

"Why, hello, boys!" he said in a high-pitched voice, "Please allow me to entertain you." Murray began dancing in a smooth and sexy manner. Incredibly, his disguise was fooling everyone; even El Jefe himself. Murray swayed in time to the music, twitching his hips, and shaking his big booty. Sly could barely believe what he was seeing; but he still had work to do. When he was sure the guards were completely entranced by Murray's dance, he left his hiding spot and crept up behind El Jefe. At that moment, Murray did a shimmy with his fans, and the crowd went crazy. Sly took the opportunity to reach into El Jefe's back pocket with his cane, and snag the blueprints. With the prints in hand, Sly crept away and slipped out the back window. Murray, on the other hand, continued his routine for a bit longer, before waving his fans in an attractive manner, and slipping away behind the curtain. The guards whooped, hollered, and cheered. El Jefe simply smiled. That smile vanished, however, when he felt something missing in his back pocket.

" _Maldita sea!_ " he shouted, "The blueprints have been stolen!" The guards panicked and began ransacking the geisha house in search of the thief. Unfortunately for them, Murray and Sly had already made their getaway.

It wasn't long before everyone met up back at the hideout. The first thing Sly did was go to check in on Neyla and the Guru. Rioichi went to inspect the fish that Bentley and Dimitri had caught, and Penelope met up with Bentley.

"So, Penelope;" he said, "Did you find anything out about El Jefe's operation?"

"Plenty;" said Penelope, "I've learned the weak points of the entrance to his statue fortress. There are two dragon heads around the entrance that contain the release switches for the bridge, and the switches to open the gates are under the bridge itself."

"Good;" said Bentley, "What about guards?"

"There's a few of them;" said Penelope, "But they're pretty fond of sushi, so that could be the best way to distract them."

"I can make them some sushi delicious enough to keep them occupied for several minutes;" said Rioichi, "Will this be sufficient, Bentley-san?"

"It might…" said Bentley, "But it also might not. If we're going to keep those guards out of our way for the operation, we'll need to put them out of action somehow."

"There is a cave on the southern side of the city;" said Rioichi, "Inside are plants that secrete a mild toxin that, if ingested, will cause the victim to pass out for several hours."

"That sounds like it could work;" said Penelope, "Sleep inducing sushi."

"Agreed;" said Bentley, "If you can acquire some samples of those plants, we can use them to lace the sushi and put the guards out of commission!"

"Then I shall go to the caves and procure a supply of the toxin;" said Rioichi, "Though the thought of tainting my sushi is repulsive, I realize that it must be done to restore my village to the peaceful place it once was."

"Oi!" said a voice. Everyone looked up to see Neyla. "I'm coming too;" the purple tigress announced.

"Um… okay…" said Bentley, "Are you sure?"

"Yes…" said Neyla, "I really want to help you, and I was wondering if this could be a chance for me to prove my goodwill."

"Give her a chance, Bentley;" said Sly, "The Guru says she's really changed from who she used to be." Bentley looked down at his legs, then back up at Neyla and said,

"Oh… alright. But if you try anything funny, you'll have to answer to me!"

"I understand;" said Neyla, "C'mon, Rioichi; we best be going."

"Yes…" said Rioichi, "Time is short; I can sense it." Once Rioichi and Neyla left the hideout, Bentley turned to Sly and said,

"Sly… are you just doing this because she's your sister?"

"No, Bentley;" said Sly, "I'm doing this because I honestly believe that she's trying to change."

" _Neyla has shown true remorse;_ " said the Guru, " _I feel we would be wise to place our trust in her._ "

"Well…" said Bentley, "If you say so, but… I'm still not so sure."

"Why not?" asked Penelope.

"Because…" said Bentley, "She's the reason that I'm in this wheelchair."

"Oh…" said Penelope, "Well… I understand your reluctance now."

"Yeah…" said Bentley, "But, who knows… she might just be the one we need to solve this mess."

"I guess only time will tell." said Sly.

Over in the southern caves, Rioichi and Neyla had crossed over the rope bridge and were attempting to enter, only to discover that they weren't alone.

" _Watashi o karakatteru no?_ " cursed Rioichi, "There are guards everywhere!"

"These blighters are a paranoid bunch;" said Neyla, "Do you think they suspect our plan?"

"No…" said Rioichi, "It is in fact, a brilliant strategy. El Jefe has been alerted to our presence, so he is covering all possible angles. It will take a true ninja master to acquire two heavy doses of toxin from the plants in this cave."

"Then we better split up;" said Neyla, "The faster we get in and out of this place, the better."

"Agreed;" said Rioichi, "Let us go." Rioichi and Neyla went their separate ways, and began their ascent to the top of the caves. It didn't take long for Rioichi to collect his sample, but Neyla was having some difficulty.

"C'mon!" the purple tigress grunted as she struggled to climb up a ledge. She finally hoisted herself over, and rolled over, panting. "Guh…" she gasped, "Been out of practice for a bit too long, I would say." She finally reached one of the plants. It was hard to miss; spikes all over it, and open like a Venus flytrap. Gingerly, Neyla took the vial that she had been given, and held it under the open maw of the plant. The dark purple liquid slowly dripped into it, and when it was full, she drew back. "Glad that's over with;" she said, "Now to get back and… Oh no!" There was a commotion going on down below; the guards had spotted Rioichi and were firing arrows at him! Spotting a vine that led down below, Neyla pulled out her whip, slung it over the vine, and slid down like a zip-line. At the bottom, she released her whip and dropped, landing on a guard's head! With cat-like agility, she jumped off and used her whip to yank the guard's crossbow out of his hands. Then, she gave him a few hits with her whip, and he collapsed. Neyla was rather pleased with herself, until she realized she had caught the other guards' attention. Luckily, Rioichi saw what was going on, and dove down to help her, knocking out a few guards with his dive.

"Let us take these guards together!" he said.

"Too right!" said Neyla. Working together, Neyla and Rioichi fought their way back to the cave entrance. Once there, Neyla threw down one of her smoke bombs, masking the exit. At the same time, Rioichi used his cane to cut one side of the rope bridge as they ran across. Both reached the other side safely, but sure enough, when the stupid guards ran through the smoke, they all fell through the bridge and into the ravine below.

"Well done, Neyla;" said Rioichi, "Are you certain that in a past life, you were not a ninja?"

"I may have been;" said Neyla, with a smile, "But right now, I'm just a thief trying to make a name for herself; like my mum."

"Of course;" said Rioichi, "But remember, even the best of thieves are nothing if they do not have honor."

"I'll… remember that;" said Neyla, "Thank you." And the two of them headed back to the hideout.

"Hey, guys!" said Sly, "How'd it go?"

"We ran into a bit of trouble with some guards;" said Neyla, "But we got the toxin we needed,"

"Good job;" said Bentley, "Now, I just need a minute to put a plan together."

"Take your time, Pal;" said Sly. He turned to Rioichi and said, "Hey, Rioichi, I just want to say how amazing it is to meet one of my ancestors in person."

"It is truly an honor to see what will become of the Cooper line;" said Rioichi, "I could not be more proud to be your ancestor."

"Thanks;" said Sly, "That means a lot." Over with Bentley, Penelope was helping him set up the projector."

"Hey, Bentley…" she said, "There's something I think you should know."

"What's that?" asked Bentley.

"Well…" said Penelope, "When I was shadowing El Jefe, I heard him mention that the Cooper Gang better not be in on whatever it is he's doing. He seems to know that we're the only ones who can stop him."

"Huh…" said Bentley, "That is strange… He may have known that we might be coming. But one thing's for certain; we aren't the only ones with a time machine."

"But how could whoever's behind this have a time machine of their own?" asked Penelope, "It's not something you can just get from an electronics store."

"You're right;" said Bentley, "But we'll have to worry about that later. Right now, we've got a dictator to overthrow!" In another few minutes, the projector was all set up, and everyone was ready for the presentation. "Okay, everyone;" said Bentley, "El Jefe knows we're here, so it's in our best interests to strike before he has a chance to rally his forces."

"Agreed;" said Sly, "What's the plan, Bentley?"

"Well…" said Bentley, "The only way into El Jefe's fortress is through the main gate, so we'll need to open it. First, we'll leave a cartload of laced sushi for the guards to eat. Once they chow down, they'll be out for the count. Unfortunately, getting the gates open will be a big challenge. First, Penelope will use her RC chopper to get at the two switches that will deploy the bridge. Second, Rioichi will have to make his way under the bridge and up to the switch that will open the gate. Once the bridge is down and the gate is open, we'll storm the stronghold and do whatever it takes to take down El Jefe and restore peace to the village."

"I shall need some time to prepare the sushi." said Rioichi.

"That's fine;" said Bentley, "Come tomorrow morning, we'll make our move. Viva La Revolution!"

 **It's time to dethrone El Jefe and put him in some real stripes…!**

 **Will the Cooper Gang prove themselves the real ninja masters…? Or will El Jefe have the last Sayonara…?**

 **Answers incoming… in Chapter 4!**


	4. Oriental Beatdown

**This is a Sly Cooper Fanfiction of how the fourth game SHOULD have gone; in my opinion at least.**

 **Disclaimer: I do NOT own the rights to the Sly Cooper Franchise and do not claim to.**

 **Sly Cooper is copyrighted to Suckerpunch Productions and Sanzaru Games.**

 **Please enjoy!**

Dawn was but a few minutes away, and Operation Sushi Bar was about to commence. Murray was pushing a cart loaded with laced sushi near the palace gate, where the guards would certainly smell it. Just in case, the cart was also equipped with a small motorized fan, to bring the smell of the sushi closer to the guards.

"Man…" he said to himself, "I wish some of this stuff wasn't laced; it'd be nice to have a working breakfast." Nonetheless, he positioned the cart a few hundred feet from the gate. "Okay!" he said into his binocucom, "The cart's in position!"

" _Nice work, Murray;_ " said Bentley, " _Now, just switch on the fan, and let the aroma do the rest!_ " Murray switched on the fan, and retreated to a safe distance. It took a few minutes, but the guards standing watch at the chasm picked up the scent of the sushi. Licking their lips, they dropped their spears and ambled over to the cart, where they gingerly took some of the sushi, and popped it into their mouths. Enchanted by the delicious sushi, they began wolfing the rest of it down. Once they'd eaten their fill, they started to return to their posts, only to nod off and collapse on the ground. From the shadows, Sly watched them collapse, then said,

"Okay, Penelope, you're on!"

" _Gotcha!_ " said Penelope. Sly watched as the RC chopper flew over the chasm and latched onto one of the dragon heads. With a quick rocket burst, the head was lifted open. The chopper then latched onto the switch, and pulled it. The door concealing the bridge opened up, and Penelope moved on to the second dragon head. After doing the same, the bridge lowered down, showing the way to the closed gate.

"Good work, Penelope!" said Sly, "The bridge is down. Now, Rioichi can get at the switch that's underneath." On que, Rioichi leapt down from the tree where he was hiding, and started climbing down a vine into the chasm. He noticed that there were several conical rocks, spread far apart, sticking out of the fog; perfect for long spire jumping. He made short work of getting across the rocks, but noticed that there was no way for him to reach the switch.

"I seem to have reached a point of no progression…" he muttered to himself. He tapped his binocucom and said, "Bentley-san, I cannot find a way to reach the switch to trigger the gate release."

" _Not to worry;_ " said Bentley, " _A few well-placed explosives should do the job._ " Up above, Bentley wheeled out from his hiding place and took a look at the cliff on the far side of the chasm. "This poses an interesting tactical challenge…" he said, "But I'm up for it." He noticed that some of the rocks were jutting out from the cliff, so he pulled out a few trigger bombs, and tossed them over to the rocks. Once they were in place, he pressed the detonator, and the bombs broke the rocks loose from the cliff. Thanks to Bentley's clever placing of the explosives, the rocks fell into a pile near where Rioichi was standing, giving him a way to reach the switch. Once he had pulled it, he made his way back the way he came to meet up with the rest of the gang.

"Nice work, Rioichi;" said Sly, "It's really an honor to watch my ancestor in action."

"I can only hope that I meet your expectations, Sly." said Rioichi.

"Why…" asked Sly, "If anything, I should be hoping to meet your expectations."

"No, Sly;" said Rioichi, "You are a far more capable thief than I am. You are able to perform feats of agility and stealth that are beyond my own capabilities."

"Wow…" said Sly, "That's… really nice of you to say; but, that's only because I've learned from you, and my other ancestors. Some who've come before you, and some who've come after you."

"I understand;" said Rioichi, "Nevertheless, I want you to know that I am extremely proud of you; my descendant."

"Thanks." said Sly, trying not to tear up.

"Okay then;" said Bentley, "The bridge is down, and our way to El Jefe's temple has been cleared. Is everyone ready?"

"Let's go grab that tiger by the tail!" said Murray.

" _And teach him a lesson in anger management._ " added the Guru. With that, everyone raced over the bridge, heading towards a sure confrontation with an irate El Jefe.

The Cooper Gang ran down the tunnel and emerged upon a lush valley. In the center of it all was a massive stone statue of El Jefe, gazing over the village with a nasty grimace.

"Wow…" said Neyla, "This place is beautiful."

"Sure is…" said Murray, "Too bad El Jefe had to spoil it with that stupid temple."

"Okay, Everyone;" said Bentley, "We've come this far. If we keep this up, we'll soon have everything fixed around here." Suddenly, there came a strange buzzing noise.

"Hold the phone…" said Dimitri, "What's the buzz about?"

"Probably just a swarm of mosquitos;" said Bentley, "Now, as I was saying…"

"Uh… Bentley…" said Sly, pointing behind the turtle.

"Not now, Sly!" said Bentley, "As I was saying, we all need to keep our heads, and…"

"Bentley…!" said Murray.

"WILL YOU JUST LET ME FINISH?" shouted Bentley, "As I was saying, we all need to keep our heads and watch out for anything out of the ordinary."

"Like THAT?" everyone asked at the same time, pointing behind Bentley. Bentley turned around and…

"Scratch my shell!" he cried. A massive airship was coming over the ridge!

"Yep…" said Penelope, "That definitely does not belong here."

"Okay then…" said Bentley, regaining himself, "Clearly, whatever's going on here is a big deal, and we need to watch our steps."

"I sense danger…" said the Panda King, "We are not alone."

"Probably El Jefe's goons;" said Sly, "He may even be expecting us." At that moment, dozens of crane and boar guards came charging at them from the temple!

"I think he was expecting us!" said Neyla.

"The time is now!" said Rioichi, "We must strike fast or be struck down!"

"You heard him!" said Sly, "Time for a ninja beat down!" Sly, Rioichi, Neyla, Murray, the Panda King, and Dimitri ran into the fray. Bentley, Penelope, and the Guru hung back, keeping out of harm's way for the time being. Neyla cracked her whip at a boar guard, wrapping him up in the process. She then pulled on the whip, sending the guard spinning out of control. Once he stopped, Sly whacked him up with his cane, and slammed him into the ground. "Nice one, Sis!" Sly called out.

"SLY! BEHIND YOU!" cried Neyla. Sly turned around to see a boar guard about to shoot him with his crossbow! Luckily, a pair of fireworks blasted the boar, knocking him out.

"Thanks, Panda King!" called Sly.

"You are welcome, Sly!" said the Panda King, before delivering a flaming chop to three crane guards, setting them all on fire.

"C'mon, Punks!" said Murray, "Any of you think you can take The Murray's championship belt?" Two boar guards and four crane guards bore down on the pink hippo, but Murray knew exactly how to break them up. He pounded his chest and broke into his berserker charge. POW! A solid hit knocked the crane guards out and stunned the two boar guards. Murray picked one of them up, before throwing him into the second guard, knocking them both out. "That's right!" said Murray, "You fall down, and The Murray stands tall!"

"Nice work, Murray!" said Dimitri, just before he knocked down an entire group of crane guards with his tail, "But you gotta admit, Dimitri's got the moves!"

"Yeah;" said Murray as he uppercut another boar guard, "This strength in numbers thing really works!" In the meantime, Rioichi was facing off against multiple crane guards, whacking them with his cane, and jumping to dodge their attacks.

"Do not test me…!" Rioichi said, "For a ninja master, honor is his greatest weapon!" He leapt over and landed on his head, spinning like a top, and using his cane to take out the cranes. Finally, he jumped up to his feet again. "Your brutish behavior is nothing before the skill of a ninja master!" he said.

"Oh really…?" asked a voice. Rioichi looked up to see… El Jefe! Before he could react, the tiger pounced and landed right on top of him. "I'll be taking that!" said El Jefe as he ripped Rioichi's cane out of his hands.

"Return my cane, you monster!" barked Rioichi. El Jefe responded by delivering a strong punch to Rioichi's face, knocking him out cold.

"Hey Cooper!" El Jefe laughed, "Looking for this…?" Sly turned around to see El Jefe standing on top of Rioichi and holding his cane!

"Hey!" he shouted, "No one hurts my family and gets away with it!"

"There's a first for everything!" laughed El Jefe. He then dashed inside the tunnel leading to his temple. As he went, the gate started to close. Luckily for Sly, the Panda King was nearby and grabbed the gate.

"Quickly, Sly!" he ordered, "Get inside!" Sly ran towards the gate, and managed to get underneath. The Panda King managed to throw the gate back up, and join Sly inside just before it slammed shut.

"Sly!" said Bentley, "I saw what happened! El Jefe's got Rioichi's cane!"

"That must have been the package he was talking about!" said Penelope, "And I'll bet my glasses that the boss he was referring to is up on that airship!"

"Bentley!" said Sly, "Can you bomb this gate open?"

"I can…" said Bentley, "But it'll take some time! You and the Panda King had better get up there and see if you can stop him!"

"He is correct, Sly;" said the Panda King, "We must act now before the cane is lost."

"Then let's do it!" said Sly. Before leaving he told Bentley, "Take care of Rioichi for me. We'll see you inside!" And he and the Panda King dashed down the tunnel. In just a matter of seconds, they emerged in a large stone courtyard sitting at the base of the temple. After looking around, they heard a sadistic laughter. They looked up to see El Jefe staring down at them from high up on the temple.

"How do you like it…?" El Jefe taunted them, "Good likeness, don't you think?"

"Looks like a real pigeon magnet!" Sly responded.

"Always the funnyman, eh, Cooper?" said El Jefe, "Well here's a dose of comedy for you; Sly Cooper gets… ROASTED!" He let loose a barrage of fireballs that lit the base of the temple on fire!

"Holy smokes!" cried Sly, "There's no way through that flaming mess!"

"Sly;" said the Panda King, "I have developed a higher tolerance for heat due to my Flame-Fu training. I feel it would be a safer option for me to venture onwards."

"Are you sure?" asked Sly, "I mean… I don't want to put you at risk to fight my battle."

"It is my duty as a member of the Cooper Gang to ensure the safety of all of my teammates;" said the Panda King, "And… I feel that this may help me repay part of the debt that I owe you for assisting in slaying your parents." Sly placed his hand on the Panda King's shoulder.

"I've already forgiven you for that;" he said, "But if you think you're up for it, go ahead. I'll head back and see if I can give Bentley and the others a hand in opening that gate."

"Thank you, Sly Cooper;" said the Panda King, "I shall embark to the top of this temple and retrieve the cane of Rioichi Cooper."

"Good luck, Panda King;" said Sly, "And thanks." The Panda King stood before the flaming entrance to the temple, took a deep breath, and leapt through the fire to reach the door. Knowing he couldn't do more here, Sly headed back to help the others.

The Panda King finally reached the top of the statue, slightly out of breath. Then, he saw El Jefe, just meditating in the center of a wooden platform. Regaining himself, the Panda King loaded his fireworks launcher and stepped onto the platform. El Jefe stirred and turned around.

"You know something…?" he asked, "You are actually starting to make me angry."

"The feeling is mutual, I assure you;" said the Panda King, "A true warrior faces his enemies face to face. He does not need to send minions to fight his battle. Your methods of fighting are a disgrace to the fighting spirit!"

"Oh, is that so?" asked El Jefe, getting up, "Ha! As long as it gets the job done, I don't care less how 'dishonorable' my ways are!"

"You have threatened the family of my friend, Sly Cooper;" said the Panda King, "Therefore, you give me no choice but to eliminate the threat you pose. And I will see to it that you fight… like a man!" Fireworks shot out of the Panda King's firework launcher and destroyed the towers surrounding the platform. El Jefe gasped in horror, then snarled with fury.

"You're gonna wish you'd stayed in China, Fatty!" he roared. The Panda King leapt forward and landed a massive chop, but El Jefe managed to dodge it. The tiger drew his swords, and began a slashing motion. Thankfully, the Panda King was able to jump clear of it. Then, El Jefe raised one sword, which was suddenly bathed in electric bolts!

" _Panda King!_ " came Bentley's voice, " _He's too fast! Try disrupting him with a firework shot! Just two should do it!_ " El Jefe brought his sword down, and began a spinning attack. The Panda King jumped to dodge the electric blade, and quickly loaded two fireworks into his launcher. He then launched them, and they struck down El Jefe. Furious, El Jefe roared, and began charging a flame attack.

" _Watch out!_ " came Sly's voice, " _I think you can repel those flame attacks with your Flame-Fu technique! Just make sure you choose the right move to block the attack!_ " The Panda King nodded. El Jefe launched several fireballs towards the Panda King at a low level. The Panda King shouted,

"Fiery WHEEL!" and sent the flaming balls back at El Jefe! As El Jefe was stumbling, the Panda King loaded some fireworks into his launcher. The tiger roared and launched two large fireballs towards the Panda King. "Palms of THUNDER!" shouted the Panda King as he sent both fireballs back in El Jefe's face, and loaded more fireworks. Now, El Jefe was madder than ever.

"THAT DOES IT!" he screamed, "I… AM GOING… TO KILL YOU!" He summoned the biggest fireball he could muster, and shot it towards the Panda King. Sweating like mad, the Panda King managed to get out,

"Booming CHOP!" and sliced the fireball in half, which passed harmlessly beside him! "Is that the best you can do?" he taunted. El Jefe roared out in fury and leapt at the Panda King, who bent over and released a full fireworks barrage that hit El Jefe square in the chest!

"AAAAAAAARRGGHH!" the tiger screamed as the fireworks propelled him off of the tower and all the way down to the courtyard! BOOM! The fireworks exploded, leaving a charred crater, and a burnt, dazed tiger. "I have powder in all the wrong places…" El Jefe moaned, before collapsing.

"You are defeated!" the Panda King laughed, triumphantly, "The Cooper Clan's honor will not be defiled by the likes of you!" It was then he noticed that Rioichi's cane was lying at his feet. Suddenly, the Panda King heard squeaking and looked up to see the massive airship hovering over him. But more importantly, several rat guards were sliding down a cable to take the cane! Loading the last of his fireworks, the Panda King concentrated, and fired at the rats lowest on the cable; they were blown away. The rest of the rats squeaked in panic and began scurrying back up the cable. "Come back here!" the Panda King shouted, "Come back and let me punish you!" Just then, something fell from one of the rats' pockets and landed at the Panda King's feet. The Panda King picked it up and looked it over. "Interesting…" he said. Then, he noticed the airship began to spark and glow, and then it disappeared! The Panda King was stunned; how could this have happened? He didn't know, but for the moment, he had more pressing matters.

In a matter of minutes, the Panda King made his way back to the courtyard. There, he found that the gang had already made it in, and had tied up an unconscious El Jefe.

"Alright!" said Sly, "You must have really stuck it to him, Panda King!"

"He was not much of a challenge;" said the Panda King, "His actions were clouded by emotion. By remaining calm in the face of an adversary, one can gain the advantage."

"Yeah…" said Murray, "I might have to try that sometime."

"Oh, and one more thing;" said the Panda King. He handed Rioichi his cane and said, "I believe this belongs to you."

"Thank you, Panda-san;" said Rioichi as he bowed, "You have returned my cane, and more importantly, rid my village of this menace, El Jefe."

"It was my pleasure;" said the Panda King as he bowed in return, "I see now why the Cooper thief clan is the best in history."

"That's high praise, Panda King;" said Sly, "Thanks."

"This is great!" said Bentley, "With El Jefe out of the picture, it shouldn't be too long before things return to normal around here. Sly, we better figure out where to go next."

"I agree;" said Sly, "But first, one last thing." Sly made his way over to Neyla, and said, "Well, Neyla, I gotta ask how you feel about all this."

"It's… different…" said Neyla, shuffling her feet, "Just a few days ago, I was planning your downfall, and now… we've fought alongside each other."

"I know;" said Sly, "It's kinda crazy." He shrugged, and said, "Listen… How would you like... to join the Cooper Gang?"

"Really?" asked Neyla, "You'd be willing to have me… after all I've done to you?"

"Yeah;" said Sly, "Now that we both know the truth, you've shown true remorse, and even warned me that someone was about to shoot me." He held out his hand and said, "So what do you say, Sister?" Neyla hesitated, but then smiled and shook Sly's hand.

"I'd be honored, Brother."

"Okay then!" said Sly, "Welcome to the gang!" The two gave each other a light hug.

"By the way…" said Neyla, "How'd things go with Old Ironsides?"

"Ironsi… Oh, you mean Carmelita…" said Sly, "Well… uh…"

"Yes…" said Neyla, looking both interested and suspicious.

"Uh… It's…" said Sly. He finally sighed and said, "It's a long and sad story."

 __ _ **El Jefe was beaten and delivered to the police. And thanks to the Panda King, we had managed to retrieve Rioichi's cane. With El Jefe and his goons out of the picture, Rioichi's village would soon return to peace and tranquility. But, there were still a lot of unanswered questions. Just who was behind all of this? One thing was for certain, it was someone powerful enough to command his own private army, and rich enough to have constructed a giant time-traveling airship.**_

 _ **McSweeny contacted us and informed us that my gun-slinging ancestor, Tennessee Kid Cooper, was in trouble. That meant we had to travel forward in time to the eighteen-eighties. Luckily, the Panda King had picked up a souvenir from his fight with the rat troops; an old sheriff's badge that turned out to be just what we needed to activate the time machine.**_

 _ **We bid farewell to Rioichi and warped forward in time; this time, with Neyla by our side. I knew it was going to take a while for Bentley and Murray for forgive her for the things she had done to us, but I could see that she really wanted to change. Speaking of changing, I found myself thinking about Carmelita; wondering how she was holding up, and how I was ever going to make things right with her.**_

 **It's forward in time we go…!**

 **But just who is behind all this time travel bother…?**

 **Answers incoming… in Chapter 5!**


End file.
